PRESCRIPTIVISM AND DESCRIPTIVISM IN THE POLICY OF CODIFICATION OF BORROWINGS
PRESKRIPTYVUMAS IR DESKRIPTYVUMAS (SKOLINIŲ) FORMINIMO POLITIKOJE

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the codification of borrowed lexicon and those features of the codification practice which are connected with either prescriptivism or descriptivism in the theory of codification. The goal of the article is to discuss how traditional Lithuanian codification criteria and principles are being interpreted and put into practice: what principles of standardization have priority, what ideologies the practice is based, on and what normative means are being applied. The standardization of Lithuanian lexicon is examined through the broader context of the theory and practice of other languages. The study concludes that the Lithuanian practice is still ruled by prevailing conservative (romantic) ideologies and by a dominant wish to preserve the purity of language. Too little attention is given to usage, and the criterion of efficiency is interpreted from a puristic point of view. The means of language planning are restricted and strong. All those features make the practice of standardization of the Lithuanian language rather conservative and prescriptive. At the end of the article the advantages of combining prescriptive and descriptive methods are discussed.

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